Tobacco pipe



Sept. 19, 1967 K. c. BUGG 3,342,187

TOBACCO PIPE Filed April 16, 1965 I llqllltqllullqfll Z/ZUe/Zfi- JferdyC Bagg,

W 4- 1442mm United States Patent 3,342,187 TOBACCO PIPE Kenly C. Bugg,1202 Sunset Drive, Fort Wayne, Ind. 46807 Filed Apr. 16, 1965, Ser. No.448,757 9 Claims. (Cl. 131201) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tobacco pipeconstruction which is simple and inexpensive, but which produces verydesirable smoking and handling properties. The tobacco pipe generallycomprises a tobacco-receiving bowl and a pipe stern through which thesmoke from the bowl may be drawn. A bit is joined to one end of thestem, and the other end of the stem is adapted to be received within atransverse bore in the base of the bowl. This other end of the stem ispositioned in the transverse bore in a manner which defines a chamberexternal of the stem for receiving smoke drawn from thetobacco-receiving bowl and for collecting the moisture and othercondensates from the smoke, while .permitting the smoke to freely flowfrom the pipe bowl through the stem.

Brief summary of the invention This invention relates to a tobacco pipe.

Among the objects of this invention are:

(a) To provide a pipe of relatively simple construction, having verydesirable smoking properties, an attractive appearance, and a suitableweight and feel.

(b) to provide a pipe which has a simplified bowl construction withoutan integrally formed stem portion, but which is capable of being readilyassembled with a removable stem so that a firm and positive engagementis provided between the two components.

(c) To provide a tobacco pipe having a construction such that evencombustion of much of the entire load of tobacco is insured.

(d) To provide a tobacco pipe in which the bowl and stem, whenassembled, form a novel passageway for the smoke that insures againstclogging and the undesirable entry of moisture into the stem.

(e) To provide a bowl and stem construction which will insure againstthe freezing of these two components in assembled relation, but whichwill provide a seal therebetween which insures against the leakage offluids into areas where there presenceis undesirable.

(f) to provide a tobacco pipe which has components that are not onlyreadily disassembled, but lend themselves to being readily disassembled,but lend themselves to being readily cleaned with a minimum of effort.

(g) To provide a tobacco pipe comprising three basic components ofsimple design and construction which are very readily and economicallymanufactured.

Description of a preferred embodiment Other objects and advantages ofthis invention will become evident as the description proceeds and froman examination of the accompanying drawing which illustrates anembodiment of the invention and in which similar numerals refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view from above of a tobacco pipe, embodying one formof the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a view principally in vertical cross-section, with certainportions broken away and others shown in side elevation, of the pipeshown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an end view in vertical cross-section of as viewed in FIGUREthe pipe shown in FIGURE 2, the view being taken along the line 3-3 inthat figure.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view in vertical cross-section of the stemportion of the pipe shown in FIGURE 1, illustrating some of theconstructional features in more detail.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, the tobacco pipe shown therein is madeup of three basic components: the bowl 10, the stem 12, and the bit 14.As best shown in FIGURE 2, one end 16 of the stem 12 is adapted to bereceived in the transverse bore 18 in the base 19 of the bowl 10. Theupper portion of the bore 18, as best shown in FIGURE 1, communicateswith the base of the longitudinal bore 20 in the bowl 10 through theelongated opening 22 in the tapered bottom 23 of th bore 20, the latterbeing adapted to be filled with tobacco when the pipe is in use.

The stem 12 is preferably formed of a suitable metal such as aluminum,and is preferably in the form of seamless tubing circular incross-section. The stem may have other suitable cross-sectionalconfiguration intermediate its two ends, however, if such is desired forornamental or functional purposes. The end 24 of the stem 12 is adaptedto receive the end 26 of the bit 14 in tight-fitting relation.Preferably, this joint is a permanent one so that the flattened end 28of the bit 14 is fixed so that it is always disposed in a plane parallelto the plane of the two diametrically opposed slots 30 and 32 in theopposite end 16 of the stem 12, which slots are best shown in FIGURES 3and 4.

Immediately adjacent the end 16 of the stem 12 the outer diameter of thestem 12 is slightly reduced, along a short length of the stem 12,providing an area of reduced diameter 34 which has a length somewhatgreater than the length of the opening 22 in the bottom of the togaccoreceiving bore 20 in the bowl 10. A step or collar 36 is thus formed atthe end 16 of the stem 12, which collar may have a bevelled edge 38adapted to be received in alignment with the conical end 40 in the sidewall of the bowl 10 of the transverse bore 18.

As best shown in FIGURE 3, the area of reduced diameter 34 of the stem12, in conjunction with the bore 18, forms a tubular passageway 42circumscribing the stem 12 which passageway communicates with theopening 22 and likewise with the slots 30 and '32 in the stem 12. Thispassageway thus forms a path for the smoke from the interior of thetobacco receiving bore 20 in the bowl to the interior of the stem 12,the smoke being drawn from the bore 20 through the opening 22 into thepassageway 42 and downwardly around the area of reduced diameter 34,through the slots 30 and 32, into the interior of the stem 12 and thencedown the stem and out the bit 14.

i The portion of the tubular passageway 42 which is below the slots 30and 32 will function as a reservoir for moisture which may be condensedfrom the smoke within the passageway 42. This reservoir has theadvantage of being removed from the path of the smoke and so disposedthat moisture condensing within the passageway 42 will flow by gravitydownwardly into the reservoir area rather than into the interior of thestem 12. The retention of the moisture in the reservoir is insured bythe fact that a tight seal is established at the two ends of the bore 18between the sides of the bore and the outer surface of the stem 12, atthe right end of the bore 18, 2, and below the slots 30 and 32 at theleft end of the bore 18, as viewed in the same figure. The lower half ofthe collar 36 at the end 16 of the stern provides this seal at the leftend of the bore 18, while the area of normal diameter of the stem,within the right end of the bore 18 forms the seal at that end.

The slotted construction of the stem 12 adjacent its end 16 in additionto providing communication with the interior of the stem, isparticularly important in connection with the proper interfittingrelation between the bowl and the stem 12 and the formation of the sealsjust discussed. When the stem 12 is being inserted in the bore 18, theslots 30 and 32 permit the collar 36 on the inner end of the stem toflex slightly, in accordance with variations in the diameter of thelongitudinal axis of the bore 18. This feature insures against bindingof the stem 12 within the bore 18, but nevertheless permits thetolerances to be small enough to insure that a very tight seal ismaintained at the two ends of the bore 18, as described in the precedingparagraph. Not only does this permit this type of close-fittingconstruction to be provided initially in a new pipe, but it also insuresagainst later difficulty after the pipe has been in use in the eventthat some distortion of the bore 18 has occurred due to the high heatand moisture content which are always found within a pipe bowl when inuse.

A further feature is incorporated in the stem 12 which insures againstthe very undesirable freezing or sticking of the stem 12 in the bore 18because of a build-up of deposits, particularly at the extremities ofthe opening 22. As best shown in FIGURE 2, the area of reduced diameter34 extends slightly beyond the outer eX- tremities of the opening 22 andleaves exposed a portion of the shoulders 44 and 46 formed at thejunction of the bores 18 and 20. This construction makes it readilypossible to shear any deposits which may be formed between the sides ofthe bore 20 and the stem 12, by a simple withdrawal of the stem 12combined with a twisting motion thereof, relative to the bowl 10 sinceany deposits building up between the sides of the bore 20 and theportion 34 of the stem 12 will form a bridge between the overhangingshoulders 44 and 46 and the portion 34 adjacent thereto.

A further novel and desirable feature of the invention is that the areaof reduced diameter 34 on the stem 12 is provided with a slight taper inthe direction of the end 16 of the stem 12. The area 34 thus has theconfiguration of a truncated cone. The result of such a construction isthat the passageway 42 for the smoke has an increasing volume as onemoves from the undercut area 46 toward the undercut area 44. Thisvariation in the volume of the passageway 42 is provided so that an evencombustion of much of the entire load of tobacco is insured as well asthe elimination of the hot spot normally found in a conventional pipe.The path of the burning of the tobacco will normally follow the line ofthe shortest draw. In other words, if the passageway 42 had the samevolume throughout its length, the area of combustion would projectdownwardly into the bowl toward the end of the Opening 22 which isadjacent the undercut area 46. By opening up the opposite end of thepassageway 42, a greater volume of air is drawn at the end of thepassageway 42, which is adjacent the undercut portion 44 than is drawnat the opposite end adja cent the undercut area 46. This differential involume compensates for the shorter path of the draw to the end of theopening 22 adjacent the undercut portion 46, and the end result is thatan even combustion of the entire load of tobacco is produced. The pathof burning, therefore, moves downwardly in a symmetrical fashion towardthe opening 22, as the pipe is smoked.

It has been found to be preferable to shape the bowl portion 10 of thepipe in such a way that the transverse dimension of the base 19 of thebowl is longer along the axis of the bore 18 than it is in a directionnormal thereto, In other words, the width of the bowl at the base 19 issubstantially greater in the cross-section shown in FIGURE 2 than it isin the cross-section shown in FIGURE 3. The purpose of thisconfiguration is to provide a greater mass of material along the axis ofthe bore 18 so that adequate bearing surfaces may be pro- 4 videdbetween the bowl 10 and the stem 12 without weakening the side walls ofthe bowl 10 to an undesirable degree. As shown in FIGURE 1, a bowl ofgenerally octagonal shape on its outer surface is particularly suitablefor this purpose.

It may thus be seen that the invention provides a tobacco pipe ofsimple, inexpensive construction which, nevertheless, has very desirablesmoking and handling properties, as well as an attractive appearance.

In the drawing and specification there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation. Changes in form and in the proportion of parts,as well as the substitution of equivalents, are contemplated, ascircumstances may suggest or render expedient, without departing fromthe spirit or scope of this invention, as further defined in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A pipe for smoking tobacco comprising: a bowl having a longitudinaltobacco-receiving bore defined by a bowl wall and a lower bowl base; atransverse bore in said bowl base having an open end at said bowl wallfor receiving a pipe stem and communicating intermediate its ends withthe lower end of said longitudinal bore;

- a tubular stem having one end adapted to be received within saidtransverse bore and having a bit member joined to the other end thereof,said one end of said stem having axially spaced portions adapted tofrictionally engage the extremities of said transverse bore andestablish a seal between said transverse bore and said stem; a length ofsaid stem between said spaced portions having a reduced diameter inrelation to the diameter of said transverse bore to provide a chamber insaid transverse bore external of said stem for receiving smoke drawnfrom tobacco burning in said longitudinal bore; and means providingslots in said one end of said stern substantially coincident with saidlength of reduced diameter to bring said chamber in communication withthe interior of said stem, said slots being disposed on said stem topermit condensates of smoke drawn from said chamber into said interiorof said stem to be collected within said chamber in said transversebore.

2. A pipe for smoking tobacco of the character defined in claim 1,further characterized in that said length of reduced diameter of saidstem is in the shape of a truncated cone with the base of said conebeing nearest said open end of said transverse bore so that the volumeof said chamber varies gradiently along said length of said reduceddiameter of said stem to a minimum volume nearest said open end of saidbore.

3. A pipe for smoking tobacco of the character defined in claim 1,further characterized in that said length of reduced diameter terminatesshort of the extremity of said one end of said stem, and wherein acollar of enlarged diameter is provided adjacent said extremity of saidstem for frictionally engaging said transverse bore.

4. pipe for smoking tobacco of the character defined 1n claim 1, furthercharacterized in that said slots of said stem open into the extremity ofsaid one end of said stern so that the diameter of said one end canadjust to variatrons in the diameter of said transverse bore.

5. A pipe for smoking tobacco of the character defined in claim 1,further characterized in that said transverse bore communicates withsaid longitudinal bore through an elongated opening having a widthsubstantially less than the diameter of said transverse bore.

6. A pipe for smoking tobacco of the character defined 1n claim 5,further characterized in that the length of reduced diameter on saidstem has a length greater than the length of said elongated opening.

7. A pipe for smoking tobacco of the character definedin claim 1,further characterized in that said slots in sald stem are disposed in aplane substantially parallel to the plane of said bit member.

8. A pipe for smoking tobacco of the character defined in claim 1,further characterized in that said bowl base is of greater thickness ina direction axial to said transverse bore than the thickness of saidbase in a direction normal to said transverse bore.

9. A pipe for smoking tobacco comprising: a bowl having a longitudinaltobacco-receiving bore defined by a bowl Wall and a lower bowl base; atransverse bore in said bowl base communicating intermediate its endswith said longitudinal bore through an elongated opening having a widthsubstantially less than the diameter of said transverse bore and havingan open end at said bowl wall; a stem having one end adapted to bereceived within said transverse bore in tight fitting relation with theextremities of said bore and having a length therebetween of a reduceddiameter in relation to the diameter of the transverse bore, said lengthof reduced diameter being greater than the length of said elongatedopening, and having the shape of a truncated cone so that the base ofsaid cone is nearest said open end of said transverse 20 bore, so thatsaid transverse bore defines a chamber surrounding said length ofreduced diameter of said stem for receiving smoke from said longitudinalbore with the volume of said chamber varying gradiently along the lengthof said stem to a minimum volume nearest said open end of saidtransverse bore; slots in said end of said stem disposed substantiallycoincident with said length of reduced diameter but opening into theextremity of said one end of said stern so that the diameter of said oneend can adjust to variations in the diameter of said transverse bore;and a bit member disposed in tight fitting engagement with the other endof said stem so that the plane thereof is substantially parallel to theplane of said slots.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 952,337 3/1910 Kolf 131-2251,047,577 12/1912 Schumacher 131-216 X 1,956,311 4/1934 Brown 131-225 X2,066,746 1/ 1937 Smith.

2,159,698 5/1939 Harris et al.

2,324,704 7/1943 Hollts 131225 2,375,312 5/ 1945 Mikelson 131-2162,722,938 11/ 1955 Armitage 131-194 SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner.

25 JOSEPH S. REICH, Examiner.

1. A PIPE FOR SMOKING TOBACCO COMPRISING: A BOWL HAVING A LONGITUDINALTOBACCO-RECEIVING BORE DEFINED BY A BOWL WALL AND A LOWER BOWL BASE; ATRAVERSE BORE IN SAID BOWL BASE HAVING AN OPEN END AT SAID BOWL WALL FORRECEIVING A PIPE STEM AND COMMUNICATING INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS WITH THELOWER END OF SAID LONGITUDINAL BORE; A TUBULAR STEM HAVING ONE ENDADAPTED TO BE RECEIVED WITHIN SAID TRANSVERSE BORE AND HAVING A BITMEMBER JOINED TO THE OTHER END THEREOF, SAID ONE END OF SAID STEM HAVINGAXIALLY SPACED PORTIONS ADAPTED FOR FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE THE EXTREMITIESOF SAID TRANSVERSE BORE AND ESTABLISH A SEAL BETWEEN SAID TRANVERSE BOREAND SAID STEM; A LENGTH OF SAID STEM BETWEEN SAID SPACED PORTIONS HAVINGA REDUCED DIAMETER IN RELATION TO THE DIAMETER OF SAID TRANSVERSE BORETO PROVIDE A CHAMBER IN SAID TRANSVERSE BORE EXTERNAL OF SAID STEM FORRECEIVING SMOKE DRAWN FROM TOBACCO BURNING IN SAID LONGITUDINAL BORE;AND MEANS PROVIDING SLOTS IN SAID ONE END OF SAID STEM SUBSTANTIALLYCOINCIDENT WITH SAID LENGTH OF REDUCED DIAMETER TO BRING SAID CHAMBER INCOMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID STEM, SAID SLOTS BEING DISPOSEDON SAID STEM TO PERMIT CONDENSATES OF SMOKE DRAWN FROM SAID CHAMBER INTOSAID INTERIOR OF SAID STEM TO BE COLLECTED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER IN SAIDTRANSVERSE BORE.